102 | To The Earl Of Egremont

    Duplicate

    Boston Ap. 16. 1762

    My Lord

    I had the honor by letter of March the 5th to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship’s commands dated Dec 12th, and to inform you that I immediately laid them before the Assembly then sitting, who thereupon empower’d me to raise 2000 fresh men to add to what they had then in their pay.446 But as it was at the end of a long Session & the House very thin, they deferred compleating their forces till the next Session.

    I called the Assembly together on the 14th of April & desired they would again take into consideration your former letter & proceed in compleating their forces in the proportion desired. I also communicated to them your Lordships second letter concerning the recruiting the regulars, together with a letter from Sr Jeffry Amherst containing a requisition that they would give the same bounty they gave to their own troops, that is 5 guineas each, for raising 893 recruits for the regular service. They very readily complied with evry thing I could ask of them: they compleated their forces to 3220 men (besides 150 men on board the frigate King George a Ship of 20 guns supported by the province for his Majesty’s Service) & have rather exceeded their proportion in comparison with other provinces. They also granted a sum of Money for recruiting the regular forces to the full of the Generals requisition both as to Numbers & Bounty.447

    I cannot excuse myself doing justice to the Assembly by assuring your Lordship that their resolutions were the result of a free deliberation uninfluenced by any motives but a sense of their duty to his Majesty arising from the present state of Affairs, in which they consider themselves as much intrested, as they were, when the War was carried on in their Neighbourhood.

    I have the honor to be, with great respect, My Lord, Your Lordships most obedient & most humble Servant

    Fra Bernard.

    The Right Honble The Earl of Egremont.

    dupALS, RC CO 5/755, ff 5-7.